Everything you always wanted to know about swingers.

TEL AVIV -- For a country fighting allegations of racism and apartheid against its Arab citizens, introducing a "Palestinian-only" bus line for workers entering Israel from the West Bank may not be the smartest move.

The line came into operation Monday and immediately had Israeli human rights groups up in arms.

Zahava Gal-On, the leader of the leftist political party Meretz, demanded that the transport ministry "immediately cancel the segregated lines in the West Bank."

Jessica Montell, director of the B'Tselem rights group, also criticized the move. "Creating separate bus lines for Israeli Jews and Palestinians is a revolting plan," she told Army Radio.

Palestinians with entry permits to work in central Israel must now all converge on one single crossing point, at Eyal near Qalqilya, where the new line operates, leading to delays.

A riot broke out Tuesday morning when Palestinians discovered there were not enough buses to take them all to their jobs in Israel.

According to Gal-On and other sources, the move follows pressure from Jewish settlers, who also cross from the West Bank into Israel to work, and who objected to sharing their buses with Palestinians.

Their reason: Fear that Palestinians could leave bombs on the buses and blow them up.

There are already roads on the West Bank that Arabs are not allowed to use -- for security reasons according to the Israelis.

And while the rights groups agree that there are legitimate security concerns, they also claim that "security" is a cover-all concept that leads to blanket discrimination against Arabs.

One Israeli newspaper, Yediot Aharanot, quoted an Israeli Peace Now activist as saying: “A Palestinian Rosa Parks is needed to insist upon sitting on Jewish bus lines, (someone) who won't surrender to discrimination."

The bus firm, Afikim, responded that it would provide more buses to avoid rioting, while the transport ministry issued a statement pointing out that it "has not issued any instruction or prohibition that prevents Palestinian workers from traveling on public transport in Israel nor in Judea and Samaria," Israel’s way of describing the West Bank.

However, now that the "Palestinian-only" line exists, rights groups worry that Arabs will be turned away from other buses.

The bottom line is that what may or may not be a legitimate security concern has been turned by bureaucrats into another weapon for Israel’s critics.

And yes to Mexico, separate lines for citizens and non citizens, same as the USA.

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The article doesn't paint the whole story.

Palestinians wishing to work in Israel must obtain a work permit. Today, about 50,000 Palestinians holding permits work in Israel - approximately 25,000 from the Gaza strip, and 20,000 from Judea-Samaria [West Bank]. Up to 40,000 are known to cross from Judea-Samaria into Israel without permits each day for work. Unfortunately, it is due to the double digit unemployment figures in the Palestinian territories.

Every morning, this would cause unbelievable delays for everybody, the locals as well as the Palestinians that are supposed to report to work. Once they cleared the *checkpoint* public transportation as it existed was just not enough to handle such traffic. So in addition to the regular buses that they were taking prior to the establishment of Palestinian only buses. The government decided to establish Palestinian only buses, where Israelis would not board, to ameliorate this issue. And while the Palestinians are still able to board all buses, Israelis cannot board the Palestinian only buses.

Yes, the Israeli citizens who live in the Judea-Samaria region are scared of bombs and were pushing for the creation of buses for Palestinians only, the actual reason is to ease up traffic. If you go on the Knesset website, it's all there.

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Did you ask the right questions for Seduction or were these yours?

Pittsburgh PA

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Sure, although I am really trying to avoid getting too deep in the whole Israel/Palestinian thing.

Winter Garden FL

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VA, still interested in factual answers to your original set of questions?

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It's not "grade school crap" at all, but at least you finally answered it.

Winter Garden FL

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I'm not an Israelie or Palestinian. They both as far as I'm concerned are dangerous to themslves and anyone in that region.

I wouldn't feel safer riding on a bus with either of them. I would just hope I got to my destination in one piece.

Anybody can sit around with this grade school "who would you rather" crap that you are asking. I thought you were smarter than that.

Pittsburgh PA

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You already gave the reason. The reasoning behind the segregation is purported to be due to a perceived risk of having them separated. Buses (and lines of people waiting for buses) are popular suicide bomber targets. A Palestinian is not going to blow up a bus full of Palestinians. A bus full of Israelis, however, maybe.

So, do you think there is a significant difference in risk to your personal safety in riding on one bus vs another?

You *still* haven't answered it. You again gave a "well, I like songs by both of them...." answer.

Winter Garden FL

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Besides, you called me a chickenshit cuz you didn't like the way I answered your silly hypothetical question.